“Q & A” is part of the La Voz News publication that highlights conversations with community members at De Anza.
Age: 18
Position: Forward
Height: 6 feet 5 inches
Weight: 180-185 pounds
Major: kinesiology
Sports team he follows: FC Barcelona
Ryan Corcoran (De Anza No. 9), is a freshman forward for the Lions, De Anza College’s men’s soccer team, who has caught the attention of Division I scouts from San Diego State, Stanford, San Jose State, Boston College, Santa Clara, Cal Poly and Chico State.
Corcoran speaks about what this opportunity means to him, his team building experiences, motivations and future goals.
La Voz: With Division I scouts watching you, what does this mean to you?
Corcoran: “It just means that we have a good program, and that they’re here to watch players that play here, who have the ability to go and play at the next level.”
La Voz: Do you think this opportunity is a step closer to your goals and why?
Corcoran: “Yeah absolutely. Playing with this group and just our opponents, and good coaching, it’s very helpful in development, as we’re here every single day training.”
La Voz: How do you balance your time between school and sports?
Corcoran:“In-season, I’m taking only one in-person class, my other two classes are online and I believe that’s helping a lot. I have training for about three hours a day, and games twice a week. So it’s honestly kinda hard to find some time, but I do, I am able to knock the assignments out in the morning or after training.”
La Voz: What are the most memorable moments being a part of the soccer team?
Corcoran: “I’m a freshman, so there is still plenty of great moments to come, but, I’d say whenever I score or my teammates score and we just get to run to the corner together its kind of um, it’s, since everything is a team effort and we all are here for hours everyday working towards scoring in the games. When we do score it feels really good and it’s a great moment all (of us) together.”
La Voz: Are there times that the team meets up after the game or after practice?
Corcoran: “Well, sometimes after training a few of us will go get Chipotle, or go to Starbucks before training. Or go to local four-year university games together just to watch where we want to be.”
La Voz: What motivates you to keep moving forward?
Corcoran: “I have always loved playing (soccer) and I want to play as long as I can and it’s something I wanted to do since I was little, so I feel I’d be letting my younger self down if I ever stopped playing. Also all the work my teammates have put in, my family, my past coaches, all the people in my life that sacrificed a lot of time… I also do it for them, so it’s not just for me but for all the people who supported me.”
La Voz: Where do you see yourself in four years?
Corcoran: “Definitely at a four year, high-level Division II, ideally Division I, the end goal is to play professionally. I have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do.”
La Voz: is there anything else that I didn’t ask, that you want to add?
Corcoran: “The team feels like a family. It’s a collective. We’re all moving towards the same goal, which is the state championship. In order to do that, we all have to give absolutely everything that we have to every game, every practice, every little moment that we have. We’ve definitely developed a sort of second family feel. Nobody feels out of place when they’re here training, especially considering we’re here for three to five hours a day. It is very important that we have that environment and that closeness.”
